Key events
“Evening from Sweden, Rob,” writes Julian Menz. “Having lived here for the best part of 20 years and followed Zlatan’s career in the ’Landslaget’, I can say that most Swedish fans aren’t too bothered about his ‘internal monologue’.
“He was/still is a great player, but has never really fitted in to the national team. (Get the ball to Zlatan is at odds with how the collective is supposed to function.) I’m flummoxed as to why he’s been recalled, when it’s pretty clear to all concerned that it’s an ego-massage from his point of view.
“I hope he stays on the bench, watching Isak and Kulusevski running rampant.”
There have been a few surprising selections this week. I thought, for example, that Roberto Martinez would get the Cristiano Ronaldo issue out the way now rather than kick it down the road. Obviously I’m not a golfer.
“Where does Mbappé fit in terms of least suitable captains in the history of football?” writes Andrew Hurley.
Now there’s a question. Sometimes people surprise you when they become captain, like Nasser Hussain when he took over the England cricket team in 1999. But yes, Mbappe doesn’t exactly fit the profile of a typical captain. I guess when you’re as good – and as inspirational – as he is, you get to create your own captaincy profile.
Yesterday’s men
How Euro 2024 qualifying works
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Germany, the hosts, qualify automatically
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The top two teams in each of the 10 groups will join them
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Twelve teams will compete in the playoffs for the last three places
Full time: Bulgaria 0-1 Montenegro
A big win for Montenegro, whose players are jumping around deliriously in the centre circle. In a tight group that includes Serbia and Hungary, they’ve made the perfect start.
Nikola Krstovic scored the only goal, his first for his country, and Stefan Savic made a brilliant goalline clearance in the last minute of normal time.
Sweden v Belgium team news
Zlatan Ibrahimovic starts on the bench, and we can all imagine what his internal monlogue makes of that.
🇸🇪 Här är herrlandslagets startelva i kvällens EM-kvalpremiär mot Belgien! 💯
⏰ Avspark i matchen 20.45 på Friends Arena, TV6 och Viaplay 💥
— Svensk Fotboll (@svenskfotboll) March 24, 2023
S
France v Netherlands team news
Both teams are starting afresh after good but ultimately unfulfilling World Cup campaigns ended with a penalty shootout defeat to Argentina.
There are a few newish faces on both sides. The retirement from international football of Hugo Lloris and Raphael Varane means an opportunity for Mike Maignan and Ibrahima Konate, while Randal Kolo Muani is preferred to Olivier Giroud up front.
This is the first game of Ronald Koeman’s second spell as Netherlands manager, and it looks like he has switched back to the classic Dutch 4-3-3. The new faces including Xavi Simons (19), Kenneth Taylor (20) and Lutsharel Geertruida (22), a very promising trio who have four caps between them.
GOAL! Bulgaria 0-1 Montenegro (Krstovic 70) Nikola Krstovic has just put Montenegro ahead in Razgrad, sweeping home with glee after unselfish play from Stevan Jovetic.
Preamble
The first mile of a marathon doesn’t usually catch the eye, but the Euro 2024 fixture computer wants to change all that. The qualifying campaign started last night with Italy v England, a repeat of the final in 2021, and there’s another heavyweight clash tonight: Gibraltar will be hoping to get one over Greece, who have been the second best G-team in Uefa for far too long; things are gonna change, I can feel it France v the Netherlands.
It’s tempting to assume these two will qualify anyway, and that tonight’s game doesn’t exactly reek of jeopardy. But a) Evan Ferguson might have other ideas and b) the Netherlands know all too well that, even in the age of Infantino-sized tournaments, qualification is not a given.
We’ll be focussing mainly on events in Paris, where Kylian Mbappe, aged 24, will captain France for the first time. Sweden v Belgium is intriguing too, and not only because Zlatan Ibrahimovic, back in the Sweden squad at the age of 41, is four years older than Belgium’s new manager Dominico Tedesco. If Ibrahimovic plays tonight he’ll become the oldest man to appear in a European Championship game.
Zlatan willing, we’ll be keeping an eye on all tonight’s matches. Here they are, 7.45pm GMT kick-offs unless stated:
Group B
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France v Netherlands
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Gibraltar v Greece
Also in this group: Republic of Ireland
Group E
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Czech Republic v Poland
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Moldova v Faroe Islands
Also in this group: Albania
Group F
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Austria v Azerbaijan
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Sweden v Belgium
Also in this group: Estonia
Group G
Also in this group: Hungary
